I the past I’ve written about a couple of cars I picked up @ PSH that I believe were made by a Colorado slottist named Joe Feruli (sp?), who does an amazing job making his own molds. My first “mystery car” that I profiled back in October of 2021, the bright green Sunbeam Alpine, has been traced back to him, as has an equally excellent ’56 Chevy sedan delivery I acquired more recently. This beauty, however, is less conclusive. In detailed discussion with Doug @ PSH with use of a magnifying glass, he says there are no identifying marks inside this body which Joe often uses, and although it does appear to have been hand-cast, the elaborate construction of this truck exceeds anything he’s seen Feruli do in the past. This does not mean its’ not his work; it could be. But that’s why I post it here and ask my fellow slot-heads what they know! Have any of you ever seen a model like this before? Can anyone clue me in to its origins?
The construction of this vehicle is amazingly intricate. The body itself was made in 2 pieces which were bound together, creating a seam at the hood that almost makes it appear as if the hood opens. It doesn’t, but you can see where the two pieces fit together. The front bumper is again a separate piece, moulded in red like the body and painted silver, while the winch is another separate piece of black plastic, as is the bed cover. Counting the window insert and the 2-piece body, this is made from 6 separate molded pieces all fitted together, an amazingly complex design for a home builder to attempt. In addition, the overall finish is excellent; some of the details like the bumpers are a little rough but the body is smooth and well defined with excellent moulded detail just like a factory-made piece, and the deep crimson color is rich, vibrant, and beautiful.
Its clear that this was a real labor of love for someone to produce, and why not? The Toyota FJ40 (short wheelbase) and FJ45 (long wheelbase) Land Cruisers are beloved cars, as famous as the American Jeep and the British Land Rover as globally recognized utility vehicles, and today the real things are fetching insane prices on the collector car market. I won’t pretend to be an expert on these vehicles, but they have always interested me due to the common knowledge that their original 3.8L inline-6 gas engines were copied from the famous Chevy “Stovebolt,” a powerplant I am well familiar with having owned and rebuilt several of them in my lifetime, so you can take it from me that with just minimal maintenance those things will run virtually forever! The car’s fame and place in history were part of why I wanted it, but I was mainly drawn to it by its uniqueness and my fascination with it’s construction. Mounted as-purchased on a clean late production open-rivet T-Jet 500 chassis, it runs just great after proper oiling and breaking in. Its not fast, but neither is the real thing!
All in all it is a beautifully made piece and whoever crafted this should be very proud. I would very much like to know how many of these might be out there, whether anyone else has ever seen one like it or has one in their own collection. So, dear readers, sound off! Comment or send me an email and tell me what you know, and if I find out anything more about it I will be sure to do an update post and share it here!
So that concludes the December 2023 haul from Performance Slots & Hobbies and all the latest additions to the Road Crew! I promised you it would be interesting and hopefully I lived up to the hype!
This is amazing on so many levels, that someone made a model of this vehicle and the effort that was put into is very cool model!